Jamaicans are known for a variety of things, including sandy beaches, reggae music, Bob Marley, and coffee. The great admiration for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee among coffee connoisseurs has pushed up the price to between $26 and $40 per pound. What is it about this particular brew that makes it so expensive?
Where Is It Grown?
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is grown in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica, which is roughly located between Kingston and Port Mari. The Blue Mountains at 7,500 feet are the Caribbean’s highest point.
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Cool, moist weather and dark, rich soil with adequate drainage characterize the region, making it perfect for coffee cultivation. Despite the fact that coffee is not native to Jamaica, it is the island’s most important export.
How The Beans Are Checked For Quality
It’s not just any cup of coffee that can be labeled as Jamaican Blue Mountain. Every bag of coffee must be certified by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board to ensure that only the best quality beans bear the famous label.
Only beans grown in the parishes of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland, and St. Mary are recognized by the Board.
Coffee Industry Regulation Act
The Coffee Industry Regulation Act established a three-grade system for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee based on the bean’s screen or size.
The term “screen” refers to the physical screens of various sizes that are used to separate the beans by size. This approach is based on the assumption that beans produced at higher elevations are larger and provide better-tasting coffee than those grown at lower elevations.
Screening Process
The strict quality standards for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee rule out beans that might be fine in other coffees. The screening procedure also aids in the eradication of maragogipe (elephant beans).
Elephant beans are huge, green, porous beans that seem to absorb the flavor of the soil they grow in, and are thought to have originated in Brazil. Although the jury is still out on their value, they are seen as an intolerable flaw in Jamaican Blue Mountain production.
Benchmarks
At least 96% of the beans must be the same size and have a bluish-green color. Only 2% of the population can deviate from that benchmark in any way. Unforgivable faults, such as sour or black beans, or alien substance of any type, do not fall under the two-percent limit. To retain the characteristics that coffee drinkers have grown to anticipate, the most rigid benchmark is required.
Why Jamaican Blue Mountain Is Sought After
Jamaican Blue Mountain beans are grown in a small geographical area that can only produce so much coffee. The limited quantity, the unsurpassed quality coming from laborious cultivation, the enticing scent, and the well-known name of Jamaican Blue Mountain have all contributed to its status as one of the world’s most sought-after coffees. It will remain one of the most costly as long as hard-core coffee aficionados want it.